Folding umbrella.



PATENTBD IAN. s, 1905.

H. G. ALLEN.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION FILED Immo, 1903.

UNTTED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT GEEICE.

HERMAN C. ALLEN, OF MCPHERSON, KANSAS.

FOLDING UNIBRELLA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,940, dated January 3, 1905.

Application l'ed December 30, 1903. Serial No. 187,211.

To (rl/Z whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. ALLEN, a

`citizen of the United States, residing at Mc- Pherson in the county of McPherson and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Folding Umbrella, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding umbrellas.

The object of the invention is to presentan umbrella of the above character which shall be adapted for ready folding into small compass, in which the parts shall be so constructed and combined as to insure high efficiency and durabilityT in use, and to assemble the parts in such manner that when the umbrella is in use all danger of collapsing or folding will be positively obviated.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a folding umbrella, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a View in elevation of the umbrella-frame, showing the same opened, the cover being omitted. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the umbrella closed in the usual manner. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the umbrella as it appears when folded into small compass. Fig. 4 is a view in section, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the handle and the rod or stick. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the construction of the ribs and the manner in which the stretchers are combined therewith. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of a portion of the rod and runners.

The umbrella-frame comprises a rod composed of two sections 10 and 11, jointed at 12, and a handle portion 13, carrying a sleeve 13, slidable upon the section 1l and retained in the posit-ion shown in Figs. 1 and 4 by alatch 14, having two lugs 14 and 14h, the former of which engages the end of the sleeve, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The rod-sections are tubular, and the outer section 10 is provided with a tenon 15 to'engage the open end ofY the rod-section 11 with sufficient tightness to prevent any movement of the parts with relation to each other when in usef The handle is connected with the rod-section 10 in this instance by two links 16 and 18, the `link 16 being connected with the handle through the medium 'of a screw-eye 17 and the link 18 being connected with the tenon through the medium of a loop or eye 18". (Clearly shown in Fig. 4.) The links are of such length as to permit a telescopic Inovement of the sleeve 16 on the rod-section 11 only a sufficient distance to allow the lug 14 of the latch 14 to spring over the outer edge of the sleeve, so that under this arrangement it will be seen that it will be impossible for the handle ever to be disconnected from the rod unless the links are broken. When the latch is in engagement with the sleeve as described, the handle will be held positively eX- tended, and to effect collapsing or folding of the frame, as shown in Fig. 3, it will only be necessary to depress the latch until it is free of the sleeve, then telescope the sleeve upon the rod-sections 11, and then withdraw the rod-section 10 and fold the parts to the posi# tions shown in the ligure above referred to.

The ribs of the umbrella are each formed in two sections 19'and 20, jointed at 21, at which points they are curved to facilitate the folding of the ribs and. also to obviate any danger of cutting or distending the cover at those points. The inner sections of the ribs are pivotally connected with a notch 22 in the usual manner.

The umbrella is provided with two vsets of stretchers 23 and Q4, the upper and shorter set being coupled at their outer ends to the joints Q1 of the ribs and the lower and longer set being pivoted to gates 25, carried by the outer sections of the ribs and adjacent to the joints 21. The inner ends of the stretchers are pivotally connectedto a pair of runners mounted upon the rod-sections, the stretchers 23 being connected with a runner 26 and the stretchers 24 with a runner 27. Combined with the rod are two oppositely-disposed spring-latches 28 and 29, which may be of the usual or any preferred construction, the latch 28 coacting with TOO the runner 26 to limit its upward movement and the latch 29 coacting with the runner 27 to limit its downward movement, and thus hold the ribs distended. The upper runner is provided with a lateral offset 30 to engage the lower latch 29 when the runner is moved downward upon the rod, and thus automatically depress it and permit the runner 26 to be moved to a positionshown in Fig. 2.

The covering, which forms no part of the present invention and which may be of the usual or any preferred construction, is omitted in order that the different parts of the frame may be fully and clearly illustrated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In a folding umbrella, a sectional rod, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected thereto, and jointed intermediate of their ends, the jointed portions being inwardly curved, two sets of stretchers connected with the ribs, a pair of runners independently connected with the sets of stretchers, and spring-latches coacting with the stretchers.

2. In an umbrella, a rod comprising an inner and outer section, a handle provided with a sleeve having telescopic connection with the inner section, a linked connection between the handle and the outer section to limit the telescopic movement of the parts, and a latch carried by the inner section and coacting with the sleeve to hold the handle extended.

3. In an umbrella, a rod comprising an inner and outer section, a handle provided with a sleeve having telescopic connection with the inner section, a tenon carried by the outer section and engaging the inner section, a loop or eye carried by the tenon, a linked connection between the loop or eye and the handle, and

'means carried by the inner section to hold the handle extended.

4. In an umbrella, a rod, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected therewith and jointed intermediate of their length, the outer sections of which carry gates, two sets of stretchers, one set of which is pivotally connected with the joints of the ribs and the other set with the gates, a pair of runners mounted upon the rod and with which the stretchers are connected, and latches for holding the ribs and stretchers distended.

5. In an umbrella, a rod, a plurality of twopart ribs pivotally connected therewith, two sets of stretchers, operatively connected with the ribs, two runners to which the stretchers are connected, a pair of latches, one of which limits the upward movement of the runners, and the other to lock the ribs and stretchers in distended position, and means carried by the upper runner to elfect automatic depression of the latter latch.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN C. ALLEN. Witnesses:

ROY D. DAvis, W. S. ALLEN. 

